At what point does a mania become OCD and how can it affect a person’s life?
Manias are what we know ritualistic behavior, rituals. Rituals are a series of behaviors that the person carries out to reduce the anxiety generated by an obsessive thought or idea. A practical example would be that of a person who has the idea that the gas may explode and has to develop a ritual such as checking it. What happens is that beyond checking it once, he/she needs to check it a series of times. The difference between mania and ritual would be the obligatory character, that is to say, the person who needs to check it a certain number of times and who cannot do without it, who cannot leave home without doing it, would have a ritualistic behavior. At that moment a second term also appears. When does this become a disorder? The disorder comes when the rituals multiply and besides checking the gas the person would need to check lights, faucets, doors, windows… and in addition it would not necessarily be done once but it would imply a great number of checks or a long time, that is to say that he would need two hours and a half to be able to leave the house. This implies that there comes a time when this behavior seriously interferes in their daily life because it is no longer that it affects them exclusively at home but it would also mean being late for work or being late for an appointment.
Do all cases need treatment?
Most cases, once the obsessive disorder has been diagnosed, require treatment. It is true that there is a small percentage of people who can have OCD and live or coexist with the disease without needing the help of any professional. However, in most cases, the person reaches a point where he or she is totally overwhelmed by the obsessive symptoms, by his or her rituals, and needs help. In this case, what has been shown to be most effective is the combination of pharmacological and psychological treatment. Ideally, the psychological treatment should be of cognitive-behavioral orientation because it is very focused on the symptoms and is aimed at modifying thinking and behavior, which are precisely the two areas most affected by obsessions.